


Hollow Protestations Of Faith

by WroughtBetwixt



Series: A Gamble At Terrible Odds [5]
Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: ASPD, Addiction recovery, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Brother Feels, Brotherly Affection, Campbell Isn't The Dad, Campbell has mild ASPD and is actively trying to not be awful, Complicated Relationships, Depression, Explicit Sexual Content, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Issues, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Friends to Lovers, Gay Sex, Ho Yay, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Parallel Universes, Past Attempted Murder, Past Drug Addiction, Past Rape/Non-con, Political Campaigns, Rape Aftermath, Resolved Sexual Tension, Semi Hostile Takeover, Slash, Supernatural Elements, Survival, Teen Pregnancy, Trapped, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:20:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22219948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WroughtBetwixt/pseuds/WroughtBetwixt
Summary: Sometimes in life, you have to do things you don’t want to do. Campbell knows that better than anyone. Sometimes in life, you have to hurt the ones you love in order to keep them safe.
Relationships: Harry Bingham/Campbell Eliot
Series: A Gamble At Terrible Odds [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1392832
Comments: 14
Kudos: 63





	Hollow Protestations Of Faith

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is part five, and the current finale, of a series. Reading the first four parts is more-or-less essential.
> 
> This is a canon divergent storyline for Campbell, using (in my experience) a realistic take on conduct disorder and ASPD instead of Hollywood “psychopath” stereotypes. While people with conduct disorder can be violent and abusive, the diagnosis exists on a spectrum, and neither ASPD nor “psychopathy” should be diagnosed before the age of 18. Campbell’s power will be more in his ability to manipulate– not “being crazy”. Hopefully I can succeed in presenting a more understandable and less sensationalized vision of his behavior. Please note that while I present his relationships as unhealthy and his behavior as questionable, I don’t intend to make him a violent abuser, to bring his character more in line with my experiences of how an emotionally neglected teen with moderately reduced empathy would behave, provided they were trying to be better (and seeking outside help).

It was the morning of the debate.

Campbell watched Harry as he undertook the Great Glow Up of 2018, trying to figure it out. Harry didn’t notice Campbell staring, since his nose was stuck in some fashion magazines Campbell’s mother had stuffed into the bookcase, and he was trying to learn how to cut his own hair without looking like a washed-up indie actor. Campbell sat on the bed under the guise of being there to help, if needed, but it was more studying than helping. 

Something had changed.

The obvious answer was that they’d had sex, of course, but there was something subtle under the surface that Campbell was picking up in Harry’s movements. It wasn’t until Harry picked up the clippers and started in that Campbell pinpointed it. He was calmer, more assured. There was a _backbone_ there that had been missing before, and Campbell could see a little of that swagger returning. It would have been conceited to think that it had much to do with the night before– not being high and drunk off his ass probably was the most of it– but Campbell still felt some small amount of achievement.

“You look especially smug today,” Harry commented as he glanced at Campbell in the bathroom mirror. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“Nothing. Just admiring the view.”

“Ah, well, that would explain it.”

“How are you doing?”

“You mean with my hair, or with us?”

Campbell considered saying both, but he wasn’t about to come off like some sort of insecure YouTube influencer. “Your hair. Need me to get the back for you?”

“No, I think I have it.” Harry paused. “And I’m good with us, too. Just saying.”

Campbell hummed, a noncommittal answer, and thumbed through Harry’s debate notes while Harry got into the shower. It did offer Campbell some amount of pleasure to know that they were still them after the night before, but they could celebrate later. The debate was in a couple hours. Judging from the marks in red pen all over the notes, and the scribbled footnotes in the margins that outlines possible questions he’d be asked, Harry was planning ahead and preparing for a fight. Good. All he had to do was look the part, then he’d be ready to roll.

And look the part, he certainly did. Harry stepped out of the shower and shaved his facial hair down to a tasteful amount of scruff. He selected some clothes that Campbell had picked out, and once he’d preened and polished– nail care, skin care, little bit of hair product– he was damn near radiant. Gone was the strung out loser, and in his place was someone who looked wiser. More mature. 

Harry smoothed out his slacks and button-up shirt. A little movement of nervousness. He turned to Campbell, gesturing to himself. “Well? What do you think?”

Campbell stood up and walked over, motioning for Harry to turn; Harry obeyed, and Campbell smiled. “I think I’m looking at a winner.”

“Yeah? Even the hair?”

“If you don’t make it as mayor, you could always be a stylist.”

“Would that make me… _Harry Stylist_?”

“Go right to hell, please.”

Harry ducked his head, grinning, and Campbell felt his heart lighten just a little. But then Harry’s phone buzzed, and the moment was over; the second Harry saw the name on the screen, his face fell. “Ugh. Allie wants to meet up and go over the debate rules. Wanna come with?”

Campbell grimaced. “Do you want me to?”

“I think I can handle it on my own.”

“Alright. I think I’ll go see how Sam’s doing.”

“Sounds good.” Harry reached out and stroked Campbell’s cheek. “Want me to drop you off? I really don’t want you walking out there by yourself.”

With everything else going on, Campbell had put the whole potential fucking _haunting_ mess out of his mind, but it all came rushing back. He agreed to the lift, if only to ease Harry’s mind. It would do any good if he ended up getting eaten by ghouls or whatever. Luckily, Sam was at the library, which wasn’t too far from where Harry was set to meet with Allie. He seemed surprised when Campbell strolled in, but not unhappy. A definite improvement from not that long ago.

“What’s up?” Sam asked. “Do you need something?”

Campbell shook his head. “Nah. Just thought I’d swing by and see how you’re holding up.” There were stacks of books around Sam, and paper and printer cartridges everywhere. “Jesus, what do they have you doing?”

“People want material to read, or learn from, but we can’t trust them to return the book. So I write down what people want, and make copies. I like it okay. It’s quiet.”

“Not too quiet?”

Sam frowned. “I do miss Grizz, but Bean said that they were okay. They’re going to use their drone to try and keep an eye on them, maybe. But it did crash, last time they tried.”

“Worth a shot, I guess.”

“He said he’d come back to me. I have to try and believe that.”

“So, you two…?”

“I think so.” Sam’s cheeks flushed a little. “He was surprised about the baby, but it was good to tell him before we got serious. And Becca knows, so we’ll figure it out, I think.”

Campbell perched on a chair nearby. “I’m glad. Should be any day now, huh?”

“Very soon.”

“Let’s hope Kelly’s been reading up.”

Sam went silent for a moment, rearranging a few stacks of paper before speaking again. “I saw that Harry was running for mayor. I’m guessing that was your idea?”

“Maybe. Is it a problem?”

“I was curious, that’s all.”

“Well, I know you’ll probably vote for Allie, but thanks for not getting in my face about it.” He tilted his head when Sam didn’t reply. “Oh? You’re not?”

“It’s been stressful at the house,” Sam admitted. “Will and Allie argue a lot. The guard is mad because Allie wouldn’t let them run for office. It’s just difficult. Maybe having competition will wake her up.”

Interesting. Trouble in paradise, then? Campbell stroked his chin, thinking; it didn’t bode well if even the people closest to Allie were losing confidence. Will had always seemed level-headed and reasonable. Maybe a little _too_ serious, but that was understandable, and Campbell knew he had a crush on Allie. If they were fighting, something was wrong. Of course, Campbell had heard talk of the guard getting frustrated. If Allie was banning them from running for office, that part made sense, but it was one hell of a move. Was Allie really so insecure that she was risking mutiny? 

“Which of the guard wanted to run for office?” Campbell wondered. “I didn’t think any of them had the ambition for that.”

“Luke, I think.”

Huh. Luke, Helena’s hubby to be. The quarterback of the football team, though mostly in name only; he had a good arm, but he didn’t have the confidence to really lead anyone. Clark and Jason were the driven ones. Maybe they were putting him up to it. Luke wasn’t a bad guy, but he was easily pushed over, and if his buddies put pressure on him to run…

Campbell spent the rest of their time together helping Sam find books and information needed. They didn’t talk much, but Campbell didn’t really want to and Sam didn’t seem like he needed to. Despite how much this new world sucked, and everything that they were going to have to face at some point, it had brought them closer together again. Campbell had been expecting at least some sort of argument over the election matter. It didn’t matter. Whatever Sam’s reasoning, they weren’t fighting anymore.

Harry was another story, perhaps. When he strolled in, Sam narrowed his eyes a bit. Harry didn’t notice, shooting Sam a warm smile. “Hey, Sam. How are you?”

“Hi, Harry. I’m alright.”

“Glad to hear it. You need a ride to the debate?”

“A ride?” Sam glanced at Campbell, eyebrows furrowed. “Why would I need a ride?”

Campbell hesitated. A look from Harry said that obviously, Campbell should tell Sam something about what was happening, but how? He couldn’t tell Sam the truth. It’d sound too out there. “We saw a mountain lion hanging around the edge of town the other day,” Campbell answered. “Kinda dangerous.”

“… A mountain lion.”

Harry nodded firmly. “A big one.”

Sam looked back and forth between them. He lifted his hands to say something, then lowered them again and scratched his head. “So, you just don’t want me to wander around alone.”

“Exactly.”

“Right,” Campbell agreed. “Especially at night. It’d suck if you got mauled or something.”

The doubt in Sam’s eyes was heavy, but he accepted the offer anyways, and they dropped him off at Allie’s house on the way back to their own. Campbell didn’t let Sam out of the car until Sam had agreed to heed the warning, and stay away from the woods. Sam wasn’t a liar. If he said he’d be careful, he’d be careful. And they didn’t even have to have a conversation about boogeymen.

Harry shook his head when they drove off, giving Campbell an incredulous look. “You do realize that there aren’t any cougars in Connecticut. Like, besides one that got hit by a car a few years back, and that was from outside the state.”

“What do I look like, a zoologist?”

“ _Bears_ , Campbell! You could have said there were _bears_!”

“Well, I didn’t want him getting excited and going out there to find them,” Campbell muttered. The feeble joke earned him a long, loud sigh. “He’ll be okay. He got the message, and besides. We’re in some weird alternate reality. There could be cougars.”

And who knows, maybe there could have been, but Campbell just needed Sam to stay on guard. If that could happen without panicking him about something that could be complete garbage, all the better. Now, all Campbell had left to worry about in any immediate sense was the debate, and it wasn’t any huge worry yet. Harry freshened up a bit and came out of the house looking like he was ready to take on the world. 

Campbell fixed the collar of Harry’s coat, brushing off a few stray pieces of lint. “Ready to go, handsome?”

“If I say yes, can I get a kiss?”

“Sure.”

“I’m completely ready,” Harry said with a bright, mockingly cheerful smile. “I’m gonna totally destroy Allie with nothing but pure charm and wit.”

“There we go.”

Leaning in, Campbell kissed Harry on the lips, a delicious spike of adrenaline surging through him when Harry kissed back. Best not to get him too wound up before a public event, though, Campbell thought with a sigh. He took Harry’s hand and led him out the door, giving Harry a little shove into the car when he balked. It was too late to turn back. All Harry had to do was repeat the talking points they’d agreed on, and hold his own when Allie went on the attack.

As they pulled up to the church, Campbell parked the car and turned in his seat. “Alright. What are our campaign highlights?”

“Reduce overcrowding, improve the work rotation system, and focus on using the space and resources we have more effectively.”

“Good future mayor. Now get in there and turn on the dimples.”

Campbell waited until Harry was out of the car and inside the church before going in himself. He would have preferred to go fling himself into the sun than be there and listening to political shit, but Harry needed his support. Besides, Campbell knew that hearing what Allie’s arguments were would benefit their campaign in the long-run. He kept his eyes straight forward as he went into the church, finding a seat on the end so he only had to worry about one jerk sitting next to him.

It was packed. Helena was the moderator, go figure. She rattled off the rules of the debate, essentially boiling down to respect one another and no insults; each side would be having opening statements, and a half an hour of taking questions from the audience, which they could then both address. Campbell noticed right off the bat that the only people at the front of the room were Allie and Harry. Where’d Lexie go? Had she even signed up? Campbell checked his watch. It was 4:30. The sign up sheet had said that anyone who wanted to run, had to sign up by five. There was time left.

Or, that was what he thought, until Helena started calling for people to settle down. Campbell blinked. How could they be having a debate at 4:30 when the sign up ended at half an hour after? But whatever was going on, Helena was calling for opening statements, and Harry had apparently won the coin toss to go first. Not great. The second position in a debate was preferable, giving Harry time to react to what Allie would say rather than the other way around.

“Thanks for coming, everyone,” Harry started off. He gave the audience a brief smile and nodded at the light applause, before his face became somber. “And thanks to Allie for stepping up after her sister died to do a very, very difficult job. Five months ago, she was the only one that could have done it. She knew Cassandra’s vision. She saw on a day to day basis how things were being run.

"But she’s not the only one who can do this anymore. We’ve all had time to get used to the rules, and see how they affect ourselves and each other. We have a better idea now, what works _and_ what could be improved. A lot of things now are very different from when we first got here. Maybe in the beginning, we needed to group together in little herds and focus on only what we had right in front of our faces. Maybe we needed to be ordered to work, and what jobs to work. We had to give up so much, all for the greater good. Maybe we needed to put all of our own needs on the back burner, in order to become the ants in the colony that we are right now. 

"I say we’re ready for a change. We understand better how this society works, and maybe it’s time to have some freedom to decide what we can do, want to do, and are able to do to be more efficient workers– and happier ones. It’s time to start giving back some of the control to the people.”

Someone in the audience let out a cheerful shout. “Whoo!”

Harry chuckled, pointing in their direction. “Yeah, alright.” He waited for the louder applause to die down before continuing. “My campaign intends to improve living conditions by reducing crowding, and returning some people to their own homes if they choose. We’ll start an education and worker program to figure out what jobs would be best for people, and help others learn new skills. We’ll adjust the rotation schedule to be functional again. Instead of sending our people out into the woods to look for land to farm, we’ll make use of the land we already have first. Control over your property, control over your future, control over your very lives.”

“Time,” Helena said from her position between Harry and Allie.

Harry nodded to Helena before shooting the crowd a winning grin. “Vote for me.”

Campbell felt a flare of pride at the cheering that came from around him, and the way Harry held himself as he went and sat back down. He wasn’t slumped over and sad looking. Not anymore. He sounded strong. Sober. He sounded like a leader. Even if Allie won, Harry had needed this– and he was going to make sure to put her through her paces. Control wasn’t going to just be given away. Allie was going to have to fight for it, and hopefully it would make _her_ stronger, if nothing else.

Allie stood and walked to the middle of the stage, smiling out at the audience. She seemed sure of herself, as much as Harry did. “I’m proud of us.” She paused, gesturing to the room. “For getting here, to this moment. I know it hasn’t always been easy, but take a look around you. We survived because all of us agreed to put this place first, and ourselves second. 

"We were raised in privilege. We’ve had to forget everything we learned about what life owed us. Instead, we’ve had to think about what we owe each other. The next six months are going to be tough. We’ll have to feed ourselves, and face winter. What Harry’s offering might sound appealing, but now is not the time for selfishness. What we have now works. If we keep on the course we already have, we will survive long enough to get back home. Until then, what’s mine is yours. What’s yours is all of ours. That’s how we’re going to get through this. Together.”

The crowd gave a light applause, but Campbell stared as Allie went and sat back down. That was… it? It was a feel-good speech, to be sure, but she didn’t address much of what Harry had said, and with the time she’d been given she hadn’t really said what she planned to do besides survive. 

“Thank you,” Helena smiled. “I’m going to now pull the first question randomly from–”

The door slammed open as Lexie stormed in, cutting Helena off. She made a beeline straight for the stage. “I’d like to make my opening statement.”

“The debate’s already started,” Helena said. 

“Right, yeah. I can see that. But it’s not finished, and I’m here now.”

Allie crossed her arms across her chest. “You had to sign up by the end of the day.”

“No. Five o’ clock, evening. Sign says so. It’s not five o’ clock.” Lexie turned to Allie. She mirrored Allie’s body language. “Interesting choice, to start the debate before the cut-off time on the sign up sheet.”

“So…”

“Is there some _problem_?”

A glance was shared between Allie and Helena. Helena shrugged when Allie shook her head. “No. You can make your statement.”

“Thanks.” Lexie faced the hushed audience. “I’ll get to the point. First, you can’t vote for Harry. Everything he’s ever said since coming here has been either to make his life better, or to help out his friends.” Lexie’s gaze landed directly on Campbell. Campbell didn’t flinch; it wasn’t worth reacting over. “Maybe he sounds like he wants what’s best for this town. He doesn’t. He’s only ever wanted what’s best for himself. He just wants his big fancy house back, and to get out of mopping floors. That’s true for him and all the rich assholes who support him. You know who you are.

"You want your fancy houses, your cars, and your money, like that’s going to mean anything. If that’s you, sure, vote for Harry. Everyone else, don’t be fucking stupid.” There was a scatter of chuckles. “He wouldn’t give any of us the time of day in high school unless it was to buy or sell drugs, so why is he suddenly such a philanthropist?” 

Lexie paused. She walked towards Allie, stopping in front of Allie’s table; the look on her face twisted into something darker. “As for Allie, she’s a bit more complicated. She gets things done, like a dictator gets things done.” The word ‘dictator’ was spat out. She moved closer to the audience again. “You know, here’s a story for those of you who think they know Allie. After people got sick at Thanksgiving, Allie and her military police started interrogating people. They took me to a wine cellar, locked me there in the dark for four hours when I couldn’t tell them what they wanted me to say, and then they violated me. I got my period, and they made me change in front of them. I had to take my clothes off while they stared at me.”

The audience began to murmur, and Campbell could hear some people around him whispering furious comments. Helena raised her voice, her voice irritated. “Time.”

“I’m not done yet,” Lexie snapped. “I had to try and cover my breasts. My lower body. I had to try and cover the blood coming out of me. And that’s just me. Imagine what else she and her secret police do when no one is there to–”

“Your time is up, Lexie.”

“Did you know I saw blood on the floor, when I was down there? Old blood?” Lexie spun back to Allie. “Was that where you were keeping Dewey, when someone beat the shit out of him?”

Allie spoke up, eyes narrowed. “You don’t get to ask questions now.”

“Oh, why? Because those are your rules? No, fuck that, Allie. Is that where you kept him? Yes, or no? Come on, it’s a simple question.”

Campbell sat up straighter, leaning forward as he tried to hear over the slowly-increasing rumble of discontent in the room. _Oh, oh fuck_. She was doing it. Lexie was actually coming for Allie’s throat, and the room was turning hostile fast. 

“Yes,” Allie finally answered. People began to shout, and it was easy to see that Allie was starting to get flustered. “Look, we didn’t have a choice!”

“And was it a member of the guard who did it? Clark, maybe?”

“I can’t say. It’s–”

“See?! She keeps people in tiny rooms, where she has them tortured where no one can see, and no one can ask questions. No one is allowed to challenge her!”

“You’re distorting what happened!”

“To Dewey, or to me?” Lexie demanded. “Are you denying that you told me to just get over it?”

“No, but–”

“You didn’t even address anything Harry said, you know that? He might be an entitled, greedy little snob, but you decide where we sleep, what we eat, what jobs we have, and now you’re asking people to risk their lives to go find land we don’t even need or know if it exists. And on top of that, you let your cavemen there beat people, and force people to undress in front of them. You punish us, Allie! You punish us, and you hurt us, and you tell us to get over it, but that we’re all supposed to get through this together. How? How can we, when we can’t even have justice for what your own police do to us?”

Helena’s voice was pleading when she spoke. “We need to get back to the debate.”

But Lexie didn’t back down, and now, the audience was cheering her on. “All of that power in a few months. What’s she going to be like in one, two, years if we elect her now?”

“What will you do differently, Lexie?” Allie asked. 

“All you need to know is that I’m gonna stop you.”

The roar of applause, shouts, and cheers was deafening. The debate hadn’t even started yet, but Campbell could tell from the energy in the room and the resigned look on Allie’s face that it was over. Lexie had wanted blood, and she got it; all Lexie had to do now was wait for the masses to finish Allie off for her. And the masses? They would. Lexie was a firebrand. Helena pulled questions from the audience, and Lexie met them with a zeal found rarely outside of religious cults. Harry’s answers were measured, thoughtful, and Allie’s answers were sincere if nothing else. Lexie’s answers were neither. She had no plans or ideas, but she had plenty of sarcasm and tore Harry and Allie apart at every turn, and the audience loved it.

By the time Campbell and Harry got back to the car, Harry looked like the human version of a crumpled paper bag. He flopped into the seat and let his head fall back onto the headrest. “Fuck.” He rubbed his face and let out a low, distressed groan. “Lexie’s really going for it.”

Campbell focused on the road. His thoughts were tangled up, but the one clear thought was a vague sense of dread. “I warned Allie that Lexie was popular and pissing her off would bite us all in the ass. Looks like I was right.”

“What are we gonna do about it? I mean, she doesn’t stand a real chance, does she? She doesn’t have any ideas. No plans, besides making life hell for Allie.”

“Harry, if there’s anything I know about politics, it’s that people don’t need ideas to win. They just need to convince people they do.”

“So, what does this all mean?”

“I don’t know yet.” He’d expected Lexie to run. He had expected Lexie to butt heads with Allie, and to outshine her with little effort. But would Lexie’s brand of politics have any lasting power? There was only one way to know for sure, and that was to keep campaigning and keep an ear to the ground. “Let’s give it a week. If she picks up steam, it’ll give us another week to push harder.”

Or to, you know, panic. 

Which, as the week went by, was the more likely option. Lexie’s support wasn’t waning one bit. In fact, the more Campbell paid attention, the more he could see that her support was increasing. Harry was a close second. Only a handful of staunch supporters still were loyal to Allie. The problem, as far as Campbell could tell, wasn’t even that Lexie was _ignorant_. She was right about a lot of things, but she didn’t seem to be applying anything she thought and felt to actions.

“She can see the forest is on fire,” Campbell said to Harry at bedtime, almost the full week in to their wait-and-see experiment. “But she doesn’t know how to put it out. That’s the issue. People are gonna vote for her because she’s not afraid to say the forest is burning, not because she has any plan to save it.”

Harry slumped against the pillows. “We’re fucked.”

“Not yet.”

“How do you figure?”

“Trust me,” Campbell purred. He tugged Harry against his chest, his hands wandering down Harry’s body to give him something else to think about. “I always have a plan, don’t I?”

Harry closed his eyes and pressed into Campbell’s touch. “Mm, good point.”

“Just keep doing what you’re doing, and I’ll make sure you come out on top.”

“I mean, I usually do.”

Campbell smiled at the tease. Regardless of how things turned out, they had this. They had each other. Even so, that didn’t stop Campbell from going out the next morning to listen in on some talk Lexie was giving at the church. Sentiment and sex would only be worth so much if Lexie took over; Campbell needed to sharpen his claws and get ready to cut some throats to make sure either Harry or Allie won. He already knew it was going to be dirty. There was no other way it could go, if Lexie was poised to take it legitimately. She couldn’t win. Campbell couldn’t allow it.

But maybe, maybe it wouldn’t come to that. Not if he could talk her out of the race.

At least fifty people had come to hear Lexie out. Different races, different genders, and kids from various levels of income. Lexie seemed to have the attention of the general public. Good for her, but bad news for Harry. Harry was going out and talking to people directly, instead of asking them to come to him, and that seemed effective– but Lexie was having people come to her. People wanted to go out of their way to air grievances to her. Which was, more or less, what the talk was when Campbell got there.

Lexie sat in the middle of the group, addressing a question about the work schedule. “And how long has this been going on? How many days have you been doing the jobs that were assigned to you?”

“A hundred and seventy-two days now,” one girl said through grit teeth.

“Okay, you actually counted.” A few people chuckled, and Lexie nodded knowingly. “I bet, like, a lot of us have because that is 172 days of cleaning, and picking up garbage, and chopping vegetables, and locking ourselves in our houses at midnight, and having to explain if we’re sick so they don’t dock our food. And has anyone asked, ever, if you were okay with any of that?”

Another spoke up. “No.”

“No! Because this is a police state.”

Campbell listened from the back of the church, leaning against a wall and trying to stay out of view. Unfortunately, it was true in a sense. Allie was using the guard to do her bidding, and placing restrictions on people that seemed excessive at times. It made sense that Lexie was angry. What Allie was doing– what the guard had done– was inexcusable. If Campbell thought that Lexie knew what she was doing, it would have been tempting to just let her win. But after half an hour of chatting, Lexie had only attacked what Allie and Harry had said or promised. She didn’t offer up what she was planning to do, besides disbanding the guard.

Once the meeting was over, Campbell moved in closer, catching Lexie while she was alone. “Hey, Lexie. Can I talk to you for a second?”

Lexie stopped. She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, for a second. What do you want?”

“I have a deal you might be interested in, is all.”

“Making a deal with you isn’t interesting.”

“Look, you and I both know you’re only doing this to fuck with Allie. Right?” When Lexie didn’t reply, Campbell continued. “Throw your support behind Harry. Help us win, and we can get you on the council. Make sure Allie and the guard are punished.”

Lexie taped her lips with her finger, as if thinking. “It’s funny. Allie tried to convince me to just sit on the council, too. I think you’re _both_ just scared. I’m gonna win this, and you all know it. Trying to make me quit isn’t going to work.” She blew him a little kiss. “Bye.”

Well, there went that idea. Campbell sighed and turned to leave out the back way– and damn near ran directly into Helena. “Jesus. Warn a person, will you?”

“What are you doing here, Campbell?”

“I came to try and talk Lexie out of running. It didn’t work.”

“Afraid Harry’s going to lose?”

“Actually, yeah.” Campbell leaned against a pew, eyeing Helena. “And what, you’re not afraid of her winning? Are you voting for her?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I’m not voting for her, or for Harry.”

“Valid. Too bad Allie’s gonna lose.”

Helena’s lips pursed. “We still have a week to turn things around. Maybe instead of trying to get Lexie to support Harry, you should be convincing Harry to support Allie.”

“Yeah, no, that’s not happening. Anyways, good talk, Helena. I really do admire that positive attitude.” Campbell brushed past her, then stopped. A sudden thought gnawed at him, and he knew she should leave well enough alone, but still. “Hey, Helena? Sincere question.”

“Yeah?”

“How’s Elle doing?”

“You don’t get to know that information anymore,” she answered. “Just know that she’s better off without you.”

Campbell kept on walking, heading towards the parking lot where Harry was waiting for him. It was a comfort, almost, that Helena brushed off the question. If Campbell had hurt Elle that badly, it was for her safety to not answer questions about her. Helena’s answer stung, but logically, all he wanted was for Elle to be safe. Happy. Wherever she was, she probably was better off. And with Harry there at the car, leaning against it with soft winter sunlight in his hair and an inviting smile on his lips, well, it wasn’t like Campbell was worse off.

“No luck?” Harry asked.

“No luck. I guess we’ll have to go to the next plan.”

“Great. What plan is that?”

“I’ll let you know when I do.”

The answer, Campbell felt, was obvious. Lexie was dangerous to the town. In a normal world, with normal checks and balances, and more than a few hundred teenagers voting, perhaps Lexie would have been brushed aside early on in a race. But people were scared. Angry. Reactive. They wouldn’t _care_ if Lexie was a bad candidate. They cared that she hated the person they hated. The will of the people would mean nothing if the people were all dead because Lexie couldn’t pull her shit together. 

They were going to have to use force.

His ruminations were interrupted by Kelly’s arrival at the house. She had her phone in hand, and was showing Harry a picture. “Look again! Do you remember this guy?”

Harry frowned, squinting at the screen. “Not really. Should I?”

“Harry, this is important. Am I crazy or is this the guy from your mother’s office? The guy she was having an argument with when we went to see her?”

“Wait, I do remember him. Who is he?”

“He’s the same guy who drove us here.” Kelly glanced at Campbell as he came up and looked over Harry’s shoulder at the picture. “Right, Campbell? You remember faces. Was this the guy that drove us here?”

Campbell studied the man. The shot was dark, and it had been months since they had been stolen away. Even so, there was something about the man that seemed familiar. “Yeah, I think it is.”

“This is Pfieffer. Has to be.”

“Who have you told about this?”

“Just Becca. Why?”

“Because apparently Mister Frizzle here can drive the Magic School Bus across universes, and that feels important. I think you need to take it to Gordie and Bean. Maybe if he can do it, we can figure out a way.”

Kelly didn’t answer at first, chewing the skin around her thumb. “I guess you’re right.” She looked between Campbell and Harry. “Anyways. Good luck with the election.”

“Thanks,” Harry said. “Good luck with the mystery.”

Once Kelly was gone, Campbell sat at the kitchen counter and massaged his temples. “This just keeps getting weirder and weirder. I mean, I suspected that guy was responsible, but I didn’t think he actually brought us here.”

Harry was focused on something completely different. “ _Good luck with the election_ , she says,” he grumbled in a mocking tone. “As if she doesn’t know I’m completely fucked.”

Campbell leaned against Harry’s shoulder. The new information changed little; they’d just have to focus on the strange happenings after the election, like they’d planned from the start. “Don’t talk like that. You’re not going to lose this election.” He wrinkled his nose at the mere thought of Lexie winning. “Not to Lexie, of all people.”

“There’s nothing we can really do about it, though. If people want her, they want her.”

“That’s the thing, Harry. They don’t want her, they want what they think she represents. She’s taking your talking points and combining them with anti-Allie sentiment. She doesn’t have any idea how to actually do any of that shit.”

“So we’re not giving up?”

“Not unless you wanna grovel to Lexie for what time we survive before she kills us all.”

“What other option do we have?”

Standing up, Campbell put on a pot of water and got some tea bags from the cupboard. Harry was going to need some, by the time the conversation was over. He stayed quiet for a moment, pulling his thoughts together; he had to be sure, because once the idea left his mouth, he was going to have to convince Harry. No weakness. No hesitation. 

“There’s not gonna be an election,” Campbell finally said. “We’re not going to wait around while Lexie wrecks everything. We can’t afford that. We’re not gonna ask for power. We’re gonna take it.”

“You mean… like, by force?” 

“Exactly.”

Harry exhaled. “Fuck. Campbell, _fuck_ , we can’t. We can’t do that. I can’t do that.” He stood up and began to pace. “That’s _your_ kind of game, not mine.”

“This isn’t a game, Harry!” Campbell turned and grabbed Harry’s arm, making him face Campbell and holding him still. “This is our lives. We’re three hundred teenagers pretending we have law and order. We don’t. Any little misstep could end with all of us dead. And then what good does democracy do us? Sometimes people have to do something terrible to prevent something worse.”

“Spinning it as something you’re doing for the good of all doesn’t make it less shitty.”

“No, it doesn’t. I’m not saying it isn’t shitty. I’m saying it’s necessary. This is one of those bullshit ethical problems, where there’s a train and you can either kill one person or five people. I’d rather flip the switch and kill one person than five, Harry.”

“I really hope you mean metaphorically.”

“Of course I do. I have an idea brewing, but I can’t do this alone.” He cupped Harry’s face, stroking his lips with his thumb. “I need you to have my back on this, sweetheart.”

The term of endearment was enough to weaken Harry’s defense. He scowled, but there was no fire behind it, and he was already nuzzling into Campbell’s hand. “Fuck.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Okay. Okay, we’ll do it. What do you need me to do?”

“Good boy,” Campbell murmured, and Harry shivered. “Just let me get all the pieces in place. When I figure it out, we’ll need to move fast. Just stay strong, and follow my lead. I’ll make sure you come out smelling like roses.”

Harry just let out a resigned noise. He gave off nervous energy during work and dinner, and his sleep was restless that night; Campbell stayed awake, Harry’s head in his lap and Campbell lightly dragging his nails across Harry’s scalp. He hated that Harry was anxious, but it couldn’t be helped. Once Campbell had a solid idea of what to do, hopefully Harry would be able to sleep a little easier. They only had a few more days to figure it out. 

The plan came to him at three in the morning.

In order to pull it off, he would need the cooperation of the guard. The only way to get them onto his side– their side– would be to give them something they couldn’t refuse. _Power_. The promise of control. Allie banned them from running, and Campbell knew it had pissed them off. They wouldn’t have let it go so easily. If he could twist them… He would need Luke on board, though, too. A harder sell, but Campbell didn’t trust the others with the one thing he’d need the guard to handle.

And, Campbell knew, it’d probably destroy his relationship with Sam. Again. Unless he told Sam, but if he told Sam, there was a high chance Sam would fight against it. Expose them. No, better to keep him ignorant of it until they reached their goal. It hurt Campbell’s heart to think about it; he liked having Sam back, but Campbell had to remind himself it was for the good of everyone. Not something Campbell had ever really thought about before, but if all the people he held dear were dead from starvation, what would anything matter?

Luckily, the guard agreed to meet with him. Clark, Jason, and Shoe, anyways. Campbell wanted to talk to them first. Get the idea nice and deep into their heads, so that Luke wouldn’t be able to use common sense to change their minds. Luke was a decent guy, but he’d roll over with the slightest pressure. Campbell just had to convince the rest of the guard to apply that pressure.

They lounged around in Clark’s living room, away from anywhere Allie would come looking for them. The three were eyeing him and Harry like they expected a fight, but Campbell just smiled and kicked back like an old friend. “I’m glad you decided to meet with us. A wise choice on your part.”

“Prove it,” Clark shot back. “Why are we here?”

“Easy. You wanted Luke to run in the election, but Allie shut you all down. I’m here to make you a deal. A way to get everything you want.”

Clark and Jason traded looks. “Yeah? What kind of deal is that?”

Campbell folded his hands in his lap. Oh, this was gonna be easy. “People listen to you. They respect you. If you threw your support behind a candidate, well, I’m sure a lot of people would follow your lead.”

“You want us to support Harry. That’s what I’m hearing.”

“Not quite.” Campbell sat up and leaned closer to them. “What if I told you that there’s been a tip that Allie and Will were planning to throw the election?”

Clark held up his hands. “Wait, wait. You expect us to believe that? Who gave you that tip, anyways?”

“Does it matter? Let’s pretend you believe me. With Allie out of the race, it’ll be Lexie against Harry. I already have a plan for how to handle Lexie. We both know, Clark, that Allie is doing a shit job and Lexie will only do worse. Hell, you know how Lexie is.” There was a bad taste in Campbell’s mouth, but he had to play the part. He had to appeal to their sexist shit. “Hysterical little bitch has no clue what she’s doing.”

“He’s got a point,” Jason chimed in. “She’s a nutjob.”

Clark squinted. “Yeah, but I don’t know. This is Allie. I can’t see her cheating like that, really. It’s not like her.”

“What, it’s not like her to screw people over? Look at what she’s doing to you guys. What perks do you even get now? Look at how much you do. We all know you guys are the reason this place works. Do you get any credit for that?”

“No. No, but I mean–”

“Jesus, Clark,” Harry interrupted. He, like Campbell, must have seen Clark fumbling and decided to go in for the kill. “You live in the same room. You eat the same food as the people who mop the floors. You know the real reason that she won’t let you run for office? She knows you’d win, and make a better life for yourselves. Why not help us, and get that better life without any extra work?”

Jason shook his head, standing up and turning to Clark. “Okay. We’re all saying the same thing here. Clark, you were saying this the other day.”

“Yeah, but this is heavy shit, man. Like a coop,” Clark added. Campbell closed his eyes, suppressing a biting comment. “She’s your cousin.”

Campbell raised an eyebrow. “That has no bearing on whether or not she’s cheating to win the election, right? People don’t give a shit about democracy. They just want to be safe, and they feel like they’re not gonna be safe with Allie anymore. It’ll be easy enough to get her out of the picture, if this comes to light. Don’t you guys wanna be the heroes, for once? If you do as we say, you’re gonna be living like kings and not taking any shit from anyone. But I need your cooperation, and we need Luke.”

Clark, Jason, and Shoe didn’t need any time to think; Clark had been arguing for show, no doubt, and the other two hadn’t cared from the start. Convincing Luke, though? Easier said than done. Clark managed to get Luke to the house, but the minute Luke heard the plan, he snapped. 

“No fucking way!” Luke growled. “Have you guys lost your fucking minds?”

Clark rolled his eyes, circling behind Luke and resting his hands hard on Luke’s shoulders. “Lukey, _relax_. Just listen. You wanted to be mayor, right? Coulda won too, I bet.”

Shoving Clark away, Luke stood up and backed away from them. He turned his gaze to Campbell; his eyebrows were furrowed, and there was genuine fear there in his eyes. “Campbell, Allie is my friend. I can’t do this to her. And the fact that you think you have the right to do something like this, even if the tip was true…” Luke stopped, frowning. “I mean, I did hear Gordie, Allie, and Will talking about calling off the elections. But they wouldn’t stoop to cheating.”

Clark glared at Luke. “Who knows? C'mon. You were with us before on this, man.”

“Not like this!”

Campbell sat back and waited as the conversation dissolved into an argument. Mostly, it was Luke yelling about how they couldn’t throw democracy away, and Jason vaguely threatening Luke. The noise was getting louder, sharper, and then Luke tried to leave. Jason blocked his way. Campbell stood, knowing a fight about to start when he saw it. Luke didn’t need the idea beaten into him. No, there was a riskier move Campbell could make, one he couldn’t make around the other guard members.

“Luke,” he said, stepping between them, “can I take you aside for a second?”

Clenching his jaw, Luke nodded. Campbell led them to the opposite side of the house, into a guest room, and shut the door; Luke immediately turned on Campbell, shoving him against the door. “What the fuck, Campbell?”

“Ease back on the throttle there, dude.” Campbell waited until Luke relaxed before continuing. “Hear me out. Look, you’re like Grizz. You have morals. Integrity. I get that. And trust me, I usually admire it.”

“But not now, huh?”

“I didn’t say that. I’m actually counting on it.”

Luke hesitated. “I don’t understand.”

“Yeah, I get that, but you’re gonna have to trust me. I know that’s laughable, but there’s more going on here that I can’t tell you, because I need you to be believable.” Campbell lowered his voice. “Trust me, Luke. Clark and Jason have been told what they want to hear. I just need you to fall in line, and do what I say, until I can get this sorted out.”

“So you’re not taking over the election? Because I know that whole anonymous tip thing is bullshit. Maybe they fell for it, or don’t give a damn, but I know it’s not true.”

“No, you’re right. I need a plausible reason to get Allie and Will out of the picture for a while. But I’m not going to hurt them to do it. Not permanently, anyways. I’m trying to help Allie, even if she won’t see it that way. And I’m going to need you to keep her safe in this.”

“Right. Except I don’t trust you one goddamn bit.”

“Yeah, I know. Cassandra did. Sam and Grizz do, and you trust them. Yeah?”

Sitting down on the guest room bed, Luke sunk his head into his hands. “Will you tell me what the hell is actually going on? Whatever you can, anyways?”

A reasonable request. Campbell explained the plan as best as he could without Luke knowing too much, and he could see Luke getting sick. Still, when Campbell was done talking, Luke nodded weakly. “Fine. Yeah, okay. But fuck you. Fuck you and Harry both, and fuck everyone else, too.”

It was too much. Campbell knew it was too much. What he was asking Luke to do, it wasn’t going to be easy, and even Campbell could admit that he had no idea how it would all play out in the end. He only had a hypothesis, and they were only going to get one shot at testing it. If they failed, it wouldn’t be pretty. But if they managed, no one would have to get too badly hurt. 

Now, if only Lexie would be as easy to convince.

Lexie was slow to answer Campbell’s phone call, and there was reluctance in her voice, but she perked up when Campbell mentioned the guard. “What about them?”

“Meet me and Harry, and I’ll give you a way to get back at them.”

That was all it took. Campbell left the guard at Clark’s place; bringing them with would only cause problems, and maybe he hated Lexie, but he didn’t hate anyone enough to put a victim in the same room as her abusers. 

“So, what do you want?” Lexie asked. “I don’t have all day.”

“I have a way for you and Harry both to win the election, but I need you to work with me on it. Allie will be out of the way soon enough, and like I said before. You’re only in this to piss Allie off. You’re gonna need help.”

“I don’t give a shit what dirt you have on Allie. Allie is not going to win this election. Neither is Harry. I am.”

“No, you’re not. Because there isn’t going to be an election.”

Lexie blinked. She looked to Harry, then back to Campbell. Some sort of realization dawned in her eyes. “You won’t get away with that.” Her confidence, if nothing else, was impressive. Impressive, and what would end up getting her and everyone else killed. “What are you gonna do? Lock me up?”

“I’ll give you this, Lexie, you’re not as much of an airhead as I thought.” Campbell sprawled out on one of the benches in the empty school stairwell, scanning the expression on Lexie’s face. She was pissed, but there was a way her eyes darted and a stiff way she held herself. She was scared. “But you understand a lot less than you think you do. You might win this thing, sure. Hell, you probably will. But you can’t run the place without the guard on your side.

"Campbell, you can’t possibly want those _fucking neanderthals_ in power.”

“What either of us want is irrelevant. If you don’t work with them, I’ll give you a month before the mob strings you up as an incompetent failure. We’re living in the Dark Ages, Lexie. Brute force wins. I’m trying to give you an easy way to power that won’t get you killed.”

Lexie turned her gaze to the floor. She held very still, and went very quiet; after a few minutes, she kicked at the ground and glanced up. “So what deal are you offering, then?”

“We got a tip that Allie is going to be stuffing the ballot. The guard is ready to arrest her and Will on charges of voting fraud.”

“Seriously?”

“Mmhm. The guard thinks they’ll have more power if they arrest Allie, but you’re right. I don’t want them running the place. I want you to take charge of the guard. You can do with them whatever you want.”

“In exchange for…?” 

“In exchange for sharing the spot of mayor with Harry. You’ll make joint decisions, but Harry will have veto power. You get your revenge on Allie and the guard. We get to implement our plans.”

“Let’s do it. But if you reneg on your end of the deal, I’m gonna beat your face in.”

Campbell stood, offering his hand. “Happy to have you on board.”

Lexie shook his hand, even though there was a slight sneer curling her lip. He was beneath her, Campbell knew she thought, but she wanted to make the guard suffer. So much so that she hadn’t even asked if the so-called tip was legitimate. Lexie didn’t care. She wanted the people she hated ground into the dirt, truth be damned; that vindictiveness was just what Campbell had relied on. 

“We’ll be in touch,” Harry told her as they left. “I don’t think we need to tell you to keep this to yourself. If people heard–”

“Whatever. Just give me Clark and Jason handcuffed in a dark room for four hours, and I don’t care what you do. Call me.”

Harry followed Campbell to the car, silent as they drove home. Campbell didn’t push conversation. What they were doing was shit work. It wasn’t anything to take lightly. Who could blame him for being tired? Sadly, they still had work to get through before shit hit the fan; he looked like he was already exhausted, dragging himself inside and curling up on his bed. 

Campbell nestled behind him, gently kissing along the side of his neck. “Having second thoughts?”

“No.” Harry rolled over to face Campbell, tilting his head up to kiss Campbell on the lips. “Mm. Just worried.”

“About?”

“Allie and Will. Lexie. Us. Just, it’s going to be a lot to hold together. I’m not sure I even fully understand what’s going on.”

Campbell nuzzled Harry’s cheek. “It’s simple enough. I told the guard and Lexie think there was a tip that Allie and Will are trying to cheat to win the election, so they have a reason for what they’re doing. The guard’s gonna have to arrest them, if only to investigate. Luke will keep them safe, and you and Lexie will act as co-mayors. We’ll give Lexie just enough time to fall apart, and get removed from power.”

“And Allie? Will?” 

“We’ll clear Allie and Will’s names, let them come back. You stand on top, with Will in the council, where Allie wants him. Maybe we even put Allie in Lexie’s spot. You two together could be pretty damn powerful.”

“Maybe, if my skull doesn’t explode first.”

“It’s just a matter of making sure Luke does his job, and Lexie keeps her mouth shut.” Campbell slipped his hand under Harry’s shirt, stroking his side. “You and me, we got this. We’ll make it through winter, and maybe by then Gordie and Bean will have a way for us to get home. Then it won’t matter. Lexie will survive and go on to have a penthouse in New York and be a famous rockstar. Allie and Will, they’ll get hitched and have a big house, and he’ll be a big-name lawyer. She’ll be a CEO of some green energy company. We’ll move away from here, and I’ll be your trophy boyfriend when you become senator. We won’t even care about all this.”

Harry smiled. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“I like the sound of that. But maybe you’ll be some chef for a five-star restaurant, and I’ll be your trophy boyfriend.”

“That works for me.”

Their laughter was strained, but Harry had relaxed enough to get up and get ready for work. “Join me in the shower?” he asked, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “No sense in wasting water.”

Campbell smirked. “Oh, of course not. Wouldn’t wanna do that.”

The shower itself was innocent enough. Campbell helped wash Harry’s back, and Harry returned the favor. Honestly, shower scenes in the movies were better than the reality of it. Showers were too slippery, too humid, and the last thing either of them needed to do was pass out or slip and hit their head. Campbell focused on making it sensual instead, massaging Harry’s scalp and kissing his spine in the menthol-scented steam. Harry kissed Campbell’s hands, lingering on one area where there was a thin white scar. A reminder of younger, more violent days.

So much had changed since then. What hadn’t changed was the fact that Campbell’s heart raced any time Harry was close to him; the only difference was that, now, he didn’t have to pull away or pretend he didn’t feel what he felt. When they got done with the shower and Harry tugged against him, Campbell didn’t have to fight it. If anyone else had grabbed Campbell like that, pushed him onto the bed like that, Campbell would have punched their teeth down their throat. Harry? Oh, Harry could have gotten away with murder. He was slinking up Campbell’s body, open hunger in his eyes, and Campbell wanted to give him whatever he wanted. _Everything_ he wanted.

“Is this okay?” Harry whispered, his hips settling between Campbell’s legs. “If you want me to stop…”

“Shut up and do something, before I do.”

Maybe Harry needed the stress relief, a distraction, or just some sort of reassurance. Whatever the reason, he didn’t ask twice; he reached across to his nightstand, yanking the drawer open and pulling out a condom and lube. Harry’s hands were shaking, so Campbell snatched the foil wrapper and ripped it open with his teeth; Campbell sat up long enough to help Harry slip it on. Harry let out a soft little moan as Campbell used a few drops of lube to slick Harry up before carefully rolling the thin latex barrier over his cock. 

“Don’t skimp,” Campbell said, pressing the lube bottle into Harry’s hand and settling back onto the mattress. “Assuming this is what you had in mind?”

“Fuck yes.”

“Then c'mon. We have a government to overthrow.”

Harry was breathing fast as he spread lube across his fingers. “You know, I kinda like it when you talk like a Bond villain.”

Campbell opened his mouth to respond, but the words caught on his tongue as Harry slowly slipped inside him. “Oh, god.” He tried to hold still, but then Harry began to curl his fingers and the edges of his vision began to white out. “Harry, goddamn it.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I want you to.”

Thankfully, Harry didn’t question it. A moment later, and Harry was pushing himself into Campbell; he didn’t go slow, he didn’t try and be gentle. He didn’t need to be. Campbell had been having plenty of fun by himself for years, countless nights pretending it was Harry. It was different. There was so much pressure, and a sort of burn, but then Harry began to thrust his hips and the discomfort began to melt into a deep, aching pleasure. Campbell hooked his legs around Harry’s waist, his fingernails digging into Harry’s back as Harry fucked him without a damn shred of mercy. He loved it, he loved it and goddamn it had been worth every second of waiting.

It didn’t last nearly long enough. Of course it didn’t. They were both touch starved and already wound up, and at that stage in a relationship where looking at one another too heatedly could be too much. Harry began to thrust faster, his hand easing between them as Campbell began to squirm and whimper; the bastard drew it out, keeping Campbell just on the edge until he came himself. Harry slammed into Campbell a few more times, still hard enough to keep it going until Campbell came. Campbell, his breath and any sensible thought stolen from him, just reached up and tugged Harry down, kissing him until they were both too spent to even move.

“We have to go to work,” Harry mumbled. 

Campbell slung an arm over him to pin him down onto the bed. “They won’t miss us.”

Harry didn’t argue that. He sighed and stayed put, dozing off; Campbell followed suit, though eventually they both woke up, cleaned up, and got dressed. They should have gone in, but Campbell was pleasantly sore and besides, they still had work of their own to finish. The countdown to Campbell’s plan was on, and Campbell had one more person on his mental list to talk to.

Sam didn’t ask, when Campbell texted him, why Campbell needed to see him right away. _I’m at the hospital with Becca. She’s close to having the baby. I’ll meet you down the hall._

 _Alright_ , Campbell replied. _Be there in ten._

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Harry asked as he drove them to the hospital. “What even are you going to tell him?”

“I don’t know yet. I can’t tell him what’s going on, because then if my ass gets thrown on the grill, his could, too. I just…”

“You just want to give him some warning.”

“I guess. Yeah. Pretty sure this plan is going to fuck things up either way, but might as well try.”

“Who knows. Maybe he’ll understand, once it’s over.”

It was a hopeful outlook, but Campbell knew that it wasn’t realistic. Once they got to the hospital, Campbell gathered up the items he’d brought with; he had brought Sam’s pillow from his room, and a few other things, both for Sam’s comfort and to give Campbell an excuse for being there in case Becca discovered them.

Sam was waiting for him. “Becca’s sleeping,” he signed. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing much. I just wanted to bring you some stuff, you know. Help you be comfortable here.” 

“Thank you.” Sam accepted the thing and set them down on a nearby chair. “Was that it? You were acting kind of weird the other day.”

Campbell fished around in his head for something to tell Sam, without saying too much, but there weren’t too many options. Might as well go with some version of the truth. “You’ve seen how things are out there right now, right? You know this is going to be a mess if Lexie wins. I just want you to know that if things get bad, you need to trust me.”

Sam looked uneasy. “Why would things get bad?”

“Sam.” Campbell rested his hands on Sam’s shoulders. “I know that I’ve fucked up before, but this time, things need to be different. Whatever happens, I need you to promise to trust me.”

A little line of worry formed between Sam’s eyes. “I promise.”

“Even if things get bad?”

“Yes. I trust you. But Campbell, what–”

The sound of footsteps on linoleum cut Sam off. Becca stood a few paces away, glaring so hard that Campbell was sure lasers would come out her fucking eyes. “Hey, Sam. What’s going on?”

Sam froze, but then he grabbed the stuff Campbell brought and held it up. “Campbell brought some of my stuff from home, so I wouldn’t have to leave.”

Becca smiled, but it might as well have been made up of razor blades. “That’s nice. Sam, could you go get some of the snacks Will and Kelly brought by? I’m starving.” It was a trap, and Sam knew it, too. He glanced at Campbell, questioning; Campbell shrugged, and Sam left. Once he was gone, Becca turned back to Campbell, her voice a hiss. “Why the fuck are _you_ here?”

“Look, I wanted to make sure Sam was okay. That’s it. He thought you were asleep, and I was just–”

“Well, Sam can be wrong about a lot of things. You can go now.” She stared him down until he turned and started to walk away. Her voice trailed after him, venomous. “And don’t come back. Otherwise you might not be as lucky as you were Thanksgiving.”

Campbell stopped in his tracks. No. No way. He looked over his shoulder at Becca, and it was like seeing lose ends of fabric magically come together. Elle hadn’t acted alone, Campbell had suspected from the start. Seeing the spiteful look on Becca’s face, Campbell knew he had his answer now. “It was you, huh? You told her to do it.”

Becca said nothing. She simply walked away.

Head spinning, Campbell left the hospital and went back to the car. He sat down and slammed the door shut hard enough that Harry jumped. He gave Campbell a puzzled look, but Campbell just shook his head, and Harry let it slide. Campbell shot off a text to Clark, asking where Will and Allie were at. To hell with it all. His patience had run out.

“We’re acting now,” Campbell said as they began to drive. Anger had shaken something in him that he thought he’d grown beyond, but there it was, alive and breathing fire. “Helena is doing some shit at the church; Allie and Will didn’t go, so no one will get in the way. We’re going to take them out, and get this over with.”

“Are you sure?”

“Damn fucking right.”

He ordering Clark and the guard members to get to Allie’s house. Fuck it. The sooner they got things over with, the sooner Campbell could figure out what Gordie and Bean had found out– and press them to find some way to clear Campbell’s name. He was sick and tired of being the monster of the story. No one was gonna care that Becca did it. No one was gonna care that Elle had been her pawn. The only way to put an end to it would be to prove the baby wasn’t his, and the only one who’d bend to Campbell’s demands for answers would be Harry.

“Why now?” Luke wondered as they gathered in front of Allie’s house. Harry had stayed in the car; the rest of them were gearing up. “I thought we were waiting for the night before the election.”

“Because I’m sick of waiting. The sooner we get this done, the better.”

Clark held up his phone and wiggled it. “Allie and Will are both inside. Ready to go?”

Campbell nodded. “Go in there. Announce the tip off, and that they’re being taken into custody. We’ll bring them out to the SUV, and take them to the police station on the outskirts of town. There are warm rooms there, bathrooms. They’ll be safe there.”

“Got it, boss,” Clark replied. “C'mon, boys.”

Luke balked at first, but a slicing look from Campbell made him trudge after the other three. Campbell waited outside, pacing the yard and going over the plan over and over in his head. Lexie wasn’t the type to wait. She would jump at the chance to rip the guard apart, and she would make some mistake within the first week or two for sure. Especially if Campbell gave her an issue to tackle that he knew she’d bungle. It’d give time to launch an investigation into the supposed tip. They wouldn’t find proof, of course, and then Allie and Will could come home. 

But the minutes ticked by, and nothing was happening. What was taking them so long? Campbell stared at the house, weighing his options. He’d intended to pretend like he’d dropped by to look for Sam. If he went in, Allie would know. But what was going _on_ in there? He grit his teeth, jogging up the steps and following the sound of shouting. Allie and Will were cornered in the kitchen– right next to a block of knives– and Gordie was between them and the guard. Fuck.

“You,” Allie spat when she saw Campbell. “I should have known you were behind this.”

Campbell kept his face and tone as neutral as possible. “Luke called me here to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid. Right, Luke?”

Luke didn’t look at him. “Yeah.”

“Bullshit, Campbell. Do you think you can just get rid of me and Will? Run the town yourself?”

“Hardly. I’m sure the guard already explained that they got a tip that you and Will were planning to throw the election. Don’t make this harder for yourselves. Go with the guard, and we’ll get this all sorted out.”

Allie glowered at him. “Bite me.”

“Oh, please. Don’t look at me like that. You locked me up once.”

“I let you go!”

“I’m not responsible for your mistakes.” Campbell moved closer, and Gordie backed up. Not so much of a fighter, then. “C'mon. Let’s get in the car, and we can talk there.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Will snapped.

Campbell sighed. It figured that they were gonna be stubborn. If they decided to fight their way out, he didn’t want to lose Gordie. He was too important. “Gordie, you need to leave now.”

Gordie blinked, stunned. “ _What_?”

“We’re not here to punish our political opponents, just people who’ve committed specific crimes. We got a tip, and we need to investigate thoroughly.”

“You’re full of shit.”

Grabbing Gordie by the collar, Campbell yanked him in close enough that he could hear Campbell whisper. “Stop being difficult. You’re not going to help anyone this way, and I don’t want you to get hurt. Get out of here.”

Allie must have heard, too, because she spoke up. “Gordie, he’s right. Go.”

“You can’t be serious.” Gordie looked to Allie, then back to Campbell, yanking out of Campbell’s grip and storming out the kitchen door. “Fine. Whatever.”

Once Gordie was gone, Will fixed his eyes on Campbell. “What do you want out of this, Campbell? You know this is bullshit. We haven’t done anything.”

Would it do any good if they knew the truth, or a part of it? Telling them anything would open Campbell to punishment, he was certain, but perhaps giving them some sort of clue would keep them cooperative. Campbell couldn’t do it around the guard. If they realized that Campbell planned for Allie to come back, they’d turn on Campbell in an instant. He had to wait until they were alone.

Edging towards Allie, Campbell pulled her close. “I’ll explain when I can. Go with Luke. Keep your mouths shut. Don’t do anything reckless. It’ll be over soon, I promise.”

“Campbell, what–”

“Allie, for once, fucking _listen to me_.”

Allie stared at Campbell as he pulled back. After a moment, she nudged Will, and headed towards Luke. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Will didn’t follow immediately, but he bolted after them when Clark snatched Allie by the arm. Well, it was cute that he wanted to protect her, anyways. Hopefully it would keep him from doing anything foolish. Campbell trailed behind them, getting into his own car as the guard loaded Allie and Will up in the SUV. Harry drove after them to the police station, tight-lipped and pale; Campbell said nothing, getting out of the car again once they’d arrived and parked.

It didn’t take long to get them situated in one of the holding cells. Luke was talking to Allie, guilt in his eyes. “We’ll get you guys some comfy bedding and stuff, and bring you some food. I’ll be making sure you’re taken care of. Try to hang in there.”

Allie muttered something Campbell couldn’t hear, but whatever it was, Luke hung his head and slunk off. Campbell stopped him before he got too far. “After the church, come back here and watch them for the night. I’ll come by first thing in the morning to take over from you. Just stay chill, and don’t tell them anything. It’s for their own good.”

Luke shrugged him off. “Yeah, whatever.”

Well, Campbell couldn’t expect anyone to be cheery, at this point. The mood of the room wasn’t any less grim when they got to the church. Lexie was waiting on the steps for them.

“Stay in the car,” Campbell said over the phone with Clark. “Luke will go in. Harry and Lexie will go in behind him. We don’t want Lexie pitching a fit, so just stay put.”

Jason sounded annoyed. “But when do we get our moment?”

“Believe me, I know what I’m doing. You’ll get everything that’s coming to you soon enough.”

Harry glanced at Campbell once Campbell had hung up the phone. “Pissing off the guard is going to be a bad idea, Cam. Once they realize they’re not going to get what you promised…”

“Relax.” Campbell shifted in his seat to give Harry a quick kiss. “Remember. Let Lexie do all the talking. You want people to remember that it was her on stage tonight, acting like she’s in charge. Are you gonna turn your phone on record so I can hear what happened?”

“I will. Are you sure that you want to do this?”

“Absolutely.”

Harry stroked Campbell’s cheek. “I hope you know I’m doing this for you.” Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Harry gathered himself and got out of the car. “Be back soon.”

It would be a mistake, to be seen in the church with Harry and Lexie. He stayed hunkered down in the car seat, waiting. Now that he had a few second to stop and think, the enormity of what they were doing rushed up on him; it was fucking batshit, but it was too late to stop now. He wouldn’t have stopped them even if he could have, anyways. Harry was right that at some point, the guard would realize they’d been fucked over, but how would they really complain? Two of them had forced a girl to undress in front of them. Campbell had never promised to shield them from their own misdeeds.

All they had to do was hold on, and wait. Campbell closed his eyes, slowing his breathing and trying to calm his heartbeat. _Temporary_. All of it was temporary, until they got home. Once they all moved on with their lives, it would be a very, very bad memory rapidly vanishing behind them. 

Campbell opened his eyes and glance at the rearview mirror. For just a split second, he thought he caught eyes watching him from the back seat. He startled, turning to look behind him. Nothing. He jumped again when the car door opened, but it was just Harry. 

“Are you okay?” Harry asked.

“Yeah. I thought I just saw…” Campbell brushed it off. It didn’t matter. Not just then. “How did it go?”

Harry brought out his phone and turned off the recording. He handed it over. “About as well as can be expected. Some people were pissed off. Some people didn’t seem terribly surprised. Either way, it’s done. Where do we go from here?”

Where, indeed?

They had, for the time being, won. Harry and Lexie were co-mayor. In the morning, they would start on that new road– and, hopefully, it would be a short one for Lexie. After that, who knew. It would depend on what Lexie did, and how Allie reacted to the events. If Allie just let it go, maybe it would be fine. Same, if she could understand and accept Campbell’s reasoning. It would be less fine if she decided to raise hell. As it stood right then, the story was solidly that there was a whistleblower– even if some didn’t believe it was true– and that Allie and Will were being held until there was an investigation. Lexie would have won anyways, and everyone knew it, so the town as a whole would probably not ask many questions. All that was left to do was wait.

So, they went home, and Harry took another shower. They curled up under the covers together, with Harry tucked against Campbell as Campbell listened to the recording of what had happened inside the church.

Lexie’s voice. “I’m sorry to do this this way, but there isn’t going to be an election.” There were gasps from the audience. “Allie and Will have been arrested by the guard, for voting fraud. They planned to stuff the ballots and take the election by force. They’re currently under house arrest.”

Luke. “It’s true. I heard them talking about it when they didn’t realize I was in the next room. There was an anonymous tip later that day, and since they control the ballots, we couldn’t take the risk.”

Lexie, again, talking over the sound of someone shouting dissent. “Look, I think it was pretty clear that I was actually going to win, but because of how things have happened, I think it’s best if Harry and I serve as mayors of New Ham together. At least until we get to the bottom of this.” She sounded chill. Composed. Victorious. “We’ll hold an election for council as soon as we have a clear idea of what happened.”

Harry nuzzled Campbell’s shoulder. “I still don’t feel right about this.”

“You don’t have to,” Campbell said quietly. “This isn’t about feelings. This is about strategy. And survival. Starting tomorrow, that’s what you’ll focus on. Let me handle the scheming from here.”

“I just don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Me, either.”

“Did I do a good job, anyways?”

Campbell set Harry’s phone down on the nightstand next to his own phone, and turned off the light. Wrapping his arm around Harry, he kissed his temple and trailed his hand along the curve of Harry’s ass. “You did perfectly. I’m proud of you.”

Harry let out a shuddering sigh and closed his eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Goodnight.”

“Mm, goodnight.”

Campbell listened to Harry’s breathing as it slowed and deepened. Soon, Harry was snoring little snores, and the tension released from his muscles. Harry, asleep, was so peaceful that it helped ease Campbell into his own slumber. No nightmares. No anxiety. No eyes watching him in the mirror. Just empty sleep, warm and safe next to the one person in the world who had never left him.

Too bad not everyone was so lucky. When Campbell woke in the morning, he got dressed and took the car to the police station, bringing some breakfast along as a peace offering. Meager, and probably futile, but it was worth a try. Harry stayed at home to get ready to meet with Lexie for the first day on the job; he didn’t need to come with, and it was probably better that he didn’t, so that Allie only had Campbell to direct her rage at. 

“Go home,” Campbell said to Luke as he walked into the station. “Get some rest. I’ll call you in a few hours.”

Luke didn’t say anything. He just stood, gathered his stuff, and walked out the door. Fair. Campbell went to the back of the station where Allie and Will were being kept. Luke had apparently shoved a mattress, blankets, and pillows into the cell, and there was bottled water and bags of various snacks in one corner. Will was still asleep, but Allie was awake, sitting on one of the cots with her arms wrapped around herself.

Campbell leaned against the bars. “Cold?”

Allie jerked her head towards him. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hands were clenched so hard that her knuckles were white. “Pissed.”

“I brought you breakfast. Eggs, bacon, toast. Juice. Are you too pissed to eat, or…?”

“Fuck you.” Allie stood up and came to the bars, grabbing the warm meals through the slot in the door. “What the fuck are you even doing, Campbell? How long are you gonna keep us here?”

“However long it takes.” Campbell ran his fingers along the metal bars, thinking. No one else was around to hear. Hell, Will probably wasn’t even listening. If he told Allie, would she understand? Would she let him do what needed to be done? No. She wouldn’t. Tempting as it was to tell her, it wasn’t time. “Your sister taught me a very important lesson when we were younger, you know. Adapt. Survive. Save _yourself_ , because no one else is gonna save you. But I don’t know about that last part.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“I’m just trying to save you, cousin. It’s what she would have wanted. I need you to stay here, and be patient, and wait.”

“You…” Allie stepped away from him. She didn’t speak. Not for several heartbeats, and her voice cracked when she did. “I’m _never_ going to forgive you for this, Campbell.”

Making his way back to the entrance of the station, Campbell stood at the door and began his portion of the watch. His eyes fixed on the woods, so close to the station; he couldn’t see anything, but there was something out there, somewhere. They were going to have to face whatever it was, along with winter and the threat of starvation, and potential mutiny from the guard. _I’m never going to forgive you._ Allie hadn’t yelled or argued or threatened. _I’m never going to forgive you._

Forgiveness didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. Campbell believed what he’d told Harry. She was hurt now, but someday, once they were safe, Allie would understand– they all would. And if they didn’t, Campbell wouldn’t look back. The right thing to do was to make sure that they survived long enough to be rescued. The right thing wasn’t always going to be the easy, kind, or simple thing to do, even if it destroyed every last shred of family or friendship he’d had left. He’d do it, if it meant they survived.

“We cross our bridges when we come to them and burn them behind us,” Campbell murmured to himself, remembering Cassandra’s words as Guildenstern. “With nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and a presumption that once our eyes watered.”

He’d already lit the match. All that was left was to watch everything burn.

**Author's Note:**

> That concludes (for now) my series _A Gamble At Terrible Odds_.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos! You've all been wonderful, and I am so happy to have been able to bring this story to you. This is not the permanent end of the series! I will be releasing supplemental stories from the POV of other characters (Sam/Grizz anyone?) and, once season two of canon drops, we'll see where this series goes. I've already begun writing scenes, which I will be posting previews for on [my tumblr](https://wroughtbetwixtfanfic.tumblr.com) in the future. :D Until then, stay safe out there lovelies, and thank you again for your support and feedback!
> 
> See you soon.


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